Date Eiji
Date Eiji (伊達 英二, lit. date eiji) is a recurring character in Hajime no Ippo. He played the initial antagonist during the events of championship road until he defeated Ippo and surrendered the belt. He is a retired Featherweight boxer and boxing trainer affiliated with the Nakadai Boxing Gym. He was frequently referred to as the second best featherweight boxer in the world behind the series' super champion Ricardo Martinez before his second loss against the latter ended his career. His surname is Date. In Japan, surnames are listed before given names. History Former WBA World Featherweight #1 contender, two-time JBC Featherweight Champion and previous OPBF Featherweight Champion, Date remained the Japanese Champion when Makunouchi Ippo challenged him for the first time and is the only individual to date to defeat Ippo in the pro ring. He is Japan's cleverest technician and possesses an incredibly sharp boxer's eye. He retired from boxing once after losing to Ricardo Martinez before the start of the series. He is married to Date Aiko, a daughter of a wealthy family. Together they have a son named Date Yuji. After his first retirement his brother found a job for him at his business company. It is made known that Date succeeded at his business career before resuming boxing in the events of New Challenger. Consequent to his second match against Ricardo Martinez (during which Date unknowingly reminded Ricardo of the latter's old feral style) Date sustained terrible injuries (a shattered jaw, fist and multiple broken ribs) and retired as a boxer for good. He then passes "the baton" to Makunouchi Ippo in the hospital. After his recovery Date is known to have become a boxing trainer, and it has become a running gag in the series for his boxers to lose all their shown fights. Match History Successions Appearance During the Events of Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting Date first appears to be the average middle-aged man with a tall, well built body and tanned complexion despite his previous retirement from boxing. His black hair is grown short and styled neatly save for a few stray strands sticking out in several places. Date's iconic scar on the bridge of his nose is present, along with his ever present stubble. His eyes are black in color. During the Events of Hajime no Ippo: New Challenger Prior to and during his second challenge against Ricardo Martinez, Date has messily grown his hair shoulder-length, his stubble having visibly thickened since the events of The Fighting. After his second retirement however Date is shown to have shortened his hair once again, recovering his original appearance. Personality Date shows the determination to go through great lengths to accomplish his goals and depicts the ideal image of a strong-willed man. However he is no where near stoic or serious, and has been shown to openly express his hearty and humorous spirit. He is good friends with Takamura Mamoru and close to fellow featherweight Makunouchi Ippo, encouraging both to do well in their boxing careers after his second retirement. In the ring Date is shown to be serious, especially during his match against Ricardo Martinez during the second season. A flashback concludes that Date used to be naive and overconfident to a certain extent in the ring until his first defeat at the hands of Martinez. Though he states that his second match against Martinez had nothing to do with revenge Date is shown to be competitive and vindictive to a certain extent, determined to give Ricardo "one hell of a nostalgic greeting". At home he is a family man who cares for both his wife and son, who in turn supported him fully through his boxing career. Fighting Style At his peak, Date was far and away, the second best featherweight in the world only behind Ricardo Martinez. He is a very well rounded fighter, his speed and power are just above average but his durability and skill are some of the best in the sport. Utilizing his high level of skill, Date is adept at turning his head at the moment of impact reducing the amount of damage taken, a move that he used effectively to hand Makunouchi Ippo his only pro defeat. His finisher is the Heart Break Shot, a powerful corkscrew blow aimed at the heart which momentarily stunned opponents and leaving them open to punches. Unofficially, there are two versions of Date Eiji throughout the series. The version Ippo fought was an Eiji who had lost his confidence and had become cynical about taking on the world a second time. While he was able to deal with Ippo for most of the match in this mindset, it was only until he began looking at the match as a brawl in the later rounds that he won. This version of Date harkens back to his younger days when he challenged the world. Though he does not brawl outright, he becomes almost entirely offense-oriented and focuses on overwhelming his opponent with combinations. This version of Date was able to easily defeat Miyata Ichirou, the current OPBF champ, in a spar, and gave Ricardo Martinez trouble in the early rounds of their second championship bout. Techniques *Motionless Jab *Corkscrew Blow / Heart Break Shot *Neck Spin *Brawling Style Gallery IMG 0011.jpg|Date breaks his hand during his second bout with Ricardo Martinez. Trivia *Morikawa Jyoji stated in an interview that Date was modeled after former real life boxer and OPBF Champion Ozaki Fujio. Category:Retired boxers Category:Male characters Category:Characters from Japan Category:Nakadai Boxing Gym Category:Featherweights Category:Trainers Category:Japanese Featherweight Champion Category:OPBF Featherweight Champion Category:Eastern Japan Rookie King Category:All Japan Rookie King Category:Boxers Category:Hybrid Boxers Category:Orthodox Boxers